The present invention relates to an equipment cabinet for electrical and electronic insertable units and includes a rack for holding the insertable units, casing components fastened to the rack and at least one door which is pivotally attached by means of hinges.
Such equipment cabinets serve to accommodate electronic units that are constructed as standard components for a grid-type arrangement. The built-in components are easily accessible at any time through an openable door, for example, for maintenance purposes. In larger equipment cabinets the door simultaneously constitutes the front of the cabinet and is attached on a side by means of hinges in such a way that it can be opened from the front by pivoting it about the hinge axis.
The equipment cabinet serves, among others, the purpose of protecting the electronic units installed in its interior against interfering environmental influences. This includes dust and moisture, which are unavoidable particularly in the production area, as well as high frequency interfering radiation caused by other, insufficiently shielded electronic devices. While it is generally not difficult to sufficiently mechanically seal the gaps between the casing components that are fixed to the rack and to protect them against high frequency interference, a reliable and durable seal of the peripheral gap between the pivotal door and the fixed casing components opposite it constitutes a special problem. Typically rubber seals are used to protect against dust and moisture, contact strips made of spring-elastic electrically conductive material are used to provide a shield against high frequency electromagnetic radiation.
For higher demands with respect to mechanical and/or high frequency tightness, the problem arises, particularly in connection with large equipment cabinets and the corresponding large-area front doors, that a door equipped with the appropriate seals can be closed only by the exertion of considerable force. This often leads to the door being difficult to move, resulting in the door not being completely closed or not closed at all after a checking or maintenance process, thus negating any structural expenditures to obtain a good seal for the interior of the cabinet.